The World Series begins Friday night in Milwaukee, and two 23-and-under hitters have become the faces of the matchup before the first pitch is thrown. Jackson Chourio and Junior Caminero, the Brewers’ and Rays’ top sluggers, opened as the market’s leading choices for World Series MVP at DraftKings as of Oct. 20, a reflection of how each has carried his team through October even while their numbers tell very different stories.
Chourio, who plays outfield for Milwaukee, and Williams Contreras opened as the favorites for the award, while Caminero sat third in the odds. The gap between their postseason batting lines and their standing in the market is part of what makes their emergence this October notable.
Chourio’s Rocky Numbers, Outsized Impact
Chourio is hitting just .171 with a .211 on-base percentage this postseason through Oct. 20, numbers that would normally sink a hitter’s national profile. Instead, he has been one of the Brewers’ most important players when it has counted.
In 35 postseason at-bats, Chourio has driven in a team-high seven runs to go with two home runs, numbers that have made him, in the eyes of oddsmakers and observers alike, arguably Milwaukee’s most clutch batter this October. The production has come in bursts rather than in a steady average, but the timing has mattered more than the volume.
Milwaukee’s path to the World Series included a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, capped by a Game 4 win on Oct. 15 at Dodger Stadium. Chourio’s late-postseason surge helped power that run even as his overall slash line stayed thin.
Caminero’s Signature Swing In The ALCS
Caminero, 23, delivered the signature moment of the Rays’ pennant run. In the seventh inning of Game 6 of the ALCS, with Tampa Bay clinging to a 3-1 lead, Caminero drove a two-run homer off the foul pole at Tropicana Field. It was his first home run of the 2026 playoffs, arriving after 33 postseason at-bats without one.
Yandy Díaz also hit a two-run homer in that same game as the Rays beat the Guardians 7-3 on Monday night, Oct. 19, clinching the American League pennant. Caminero’s blast turned a tight, late-game margin into breathing room at a moment the Rays needed it most.
The home run capped a regular season in which Caminero hit 42 home runs, establishing him as one of Tampa Bay’s primary offensive threats heading into the postseason. His postseason production has looked different from his power-driven regular season. He has one home run, nine hits and four RBIs in 33 at-bats, but he leads the Rays in on-base percentage this postseason at .351, a sign that his plate discipline has carried the load even when the ball has not left the yard.
Two Different Paths To The Same Stage
What links Chourio and Caminero beyond their ages is the way each has become a focal point for his franchise during a deep playoff run, despite showing different offensive identities this month. Chourio’s average has been low but his hits have landed at critical junctures, while Caminero has been steadier at getting on base even as his power stayed dormant for weeks before the ALCS homer. Their divergent paths to the same spotlight are part of why the matchup has drawn attention beyond the two fan bases.
That contrast is also why oddsmakers placed all three hitters, Chourio, Contreras and Caminero, among the favorites for World Series MVP rather than any of the more established veterans on either roster. The young talent on both sides has pushed into the center of the series narrative before a single World Series pitch has been thrown.
What’s Next
World Series Game 1 between the Brewers and Rays is scheduled for Friday night in Milwaukee. Both Chourio and Caminero will try to carry their October forms, one built on timely hits, the other on patience at the plate, into the sport’s biggest stage.
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